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Sunday, April 16, 2006
Power firm assures to pay strikers' P15.9M backwages
By Victor L. Camion
NEGROS Oriental II Electric Cooperative (Noreco 2) assured it is ready to pay the P15.9 million backwages of the 181 employees who went on strike in 1997 and 1998 including three who were not reinstated after the labor conflict.
Noreco 2 Finance Manager Deonifred Macahig, Jr. said the cooperative has allotted P6 million of its bank deposits for such purpose.
"We already set a budget for it," said Magahig.
Macahig said the cooperative's money would be paid to represent the backwages of the workers based on computations unless the court changed the amount each worker should receive.
The cooperative, he said, would negotiate with the employees on how management would comply in a manner that would not affect its stability.
Macahig, however, clarified that management has not yet scheduled the payment.
He said the cooperative has filed a motion for re-computation before the court because of the three strikers who were dismissed from service on causes not related to the labor dispute.
"These three strikers were not reinstated," said Macahig.
The Department of Labor and Employment initiated garnishment proceedings on the bank deposits of the power firm to ensure it would pay the backwages of the 181 employees.
Garnishment is a "process in which money or goods in the hands of a third person, which are due a defendant, are attached by the plaintiff; such as property controlled by a third person, which is owed to or belongs to a debtor, to repay a debt of the debtor."
The garnishment came after Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas issued an execution last March 31, mandating the enforcement of the Supreme Court decision in July 2004, awarding P15.9 million in backwages to the employees who went on strike in 1997 following a deadlock in the negotiation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The amount covers the salaries of the workers belonging to the Noreco 2 Employees Union -- ALU from September 1997 to September 1998 -- the strike period.
Sto. Tomas assumed jurisdiction of the labor dispute in March 1998.
(April 13, 2006 issue)
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